POSTED: 04 July, 2024
Top Slim and Lightweight Laptops for Summer 2024
Are you looking for a lightweight laptop that lasts all day on a single battery charge? Luckily, you are in the right place.
Ultraportable, slim, and lightweight are our top recommendations in this article.
Laptops are the most important tools we rely on today. Whether you want to submit homework, type documents, edit presentations or spreadsheets, play eSports, or connect with friends and family, you need a laptop with all the bells and whistles to do the job efficiently. This means it should have a great display, comfortable keyboard, responsive touchpad, high-quality webcam, and longer battery life.
For students looking for slim and lightweight laptops that balance portability and performance, check out our top picks for university students in 2024/2025.
If you travel a lot, your laptop should be thin and light enough to fit in your bag and not break your back. This category is what we call "ultraportable." Ultraportable laptops are slim machines that weigh less than four pounds, have screens that are 14 inches or smaller, and pack plenty of features to fit anyone's needs.
We have tested over 100 laptops and compiled a list of the best slim and lightweight laptops, from budget-friendly to super-premium models.
So, check out our top picks for the best laptops for Summer 2024, followed by buying advice.
HP Pavilion 15 AMD Ryzen 5
Specifications
- AMD Ryzen 5 5625U Hexa-Core Processor
- 15.6 in Full HD IPS Display, 1920 x 1080 Max. Resolution
- 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- Windows 11 Home
- HDMI | USB 3.2 | USB-C
- Silver Colour
- 1 Year Warranty
The HP Pavilion 15 delivers a fair amount of power and sharp visuals in a handsome chassis. The HP Pavilion line is known for its mid-range consumer offerings, and the 15.6-inch model fits right in. It's a slim laptop with outstanding specifications: 8 GB of RAM, a fast 256GB SSD, a touchscreen 15.6-inch FHD display, and a Precision touchpad.
All of this high-end hardware is housed in a beautiful and appealing shell that is thin enough to look more expensive than it is. The latest HP Pavilion laptop 15 has many ports, making it adaptable for various applications.
It performs really well overall, although not entirely on pace with the top-end AMD Ryzen 5 mobile processors. The laptop offers astonishing battery life and the modern features you need to tackle basic to advanced computing activities.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro
Specifications
- Intel Core i7 -1260P 12-Core Processor
- 14 in 2.2K IPS Display, 2240 x 1400 Max. Resolution
- 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Windows 11 Home
- USB | USB-C
- Storm Grey Colour
- 2 Years Warranty
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro is another mid-range workstation designed for professionals and gamers. The laptop's Intel Core i7 12th gen processor and Intel's integrated graphics chip can handle demanding workloads such as video editing and 3D animation.
As for the design, this Slim Yoga Lenovo laptop justifies its name with sleek, light, and minimal aesthetics that fit in with professional settings. The build quality is also excellent, as the all-aluminium chassis feels sturdy, with no flex on the keyboard, lid, and display.
There's minimal thermal throttling under load, and the laptop never gets excessively hot or loud. Its extensive port selection includes USB4 and HDMI 2.1, although there's no Thunderbolt 4 present.
Lenovo has integrated a 14-inch IPS touchscreen with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution in the Slim Pro 7 model. The screen offers passable performance but scores noticeably behind the Mini-LED in Apple's MacBook Pro 14 and Windows laptops with OLED panels.
Additionally, Lenovo's brand-new X Power feature elevates your passion with meticulously fine-tuned high-performance hardware, a turbo matrix for dynamic CPU/GPU power control, cutting-edge software scenario tuning, and advanced thermal design power.
HP ENVY x360 15-fe0012na
Specifications
- Intel Core i5 -1335U 10-Core Processor
- 15.6 in Full HD OLED Display, 1920 x 1080 Max. Resolution
- 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Windows 11 Home
- HDMI | USB 3.2 | Thunderbolt 4
- Silver Colour
- 1 Year Warranty
HP ENVY series, or two-in-one convertible, is the middle child between the mainstream Pavilion series and the premium Spectre line. The Envy x360 15-fe0012na is a 15.6-inch two-in-one convertible laptop with a premium design reminiscent of the Spectre series but at a price point more akin to the Pavilion line.
In terms of exteriors, you get a rigid all-metal body, though the design remains unchanged from previous generations. While the previous design is still appealing, it's disappointing that HP continues to use a 16:9 widescreen display rather than the increasingly popular 16:10 panels in modern 2-in-1 laptops.
When it comes to performance, the HP ENVY 15 doesn't disappoint. It supports a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 paired with 8GB of RAM. The most significant upgrade from last year's model is the webcam resolution, which has doubled from a grainy 720p to a crisp 1440p. In the era of video conferencing, this improvement is greatly appreciated.
Another good news is that the best HP ENVY laptop series is IMAX Enhanced certified. It meets strict performance standards across viewing mode, brightness, resolution, sonic fidelity, and colour contrast.
MSI Prestige 16 AI Studio B1VEG-035UK
Specifications
- Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 16-Core Processor
- 16 in Quad HD+ IPS Display, 2560 x 1600 Max. Resolution
- 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Graphics
- Windows 11 Home Advanced
- USB | HDMI | Thunderbolt 4
- Grey Colour
- 1 Year Warranty
The newest MSI Prestige 16 AI Studio is our favourite pick for slim and light laptops. It is one of the first "AI laptops" to support the new Intel Core Ultra CPU. Thanks to Intel's NPU and AI acceleration technology, the Prestige 16 AI should be more capable of handling AI tasks than any other laptop with a similar price tag.
Beyond its AI power, the MSI Prestige 16 brings much more. It features 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The Prestige 16 AI Studio is equipped with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. All configurations offer a 16-inch QHD+ (2,560 x 1,600) IPS panel. The Prestige 16 AI also includes Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.
The best part? You will love the laptop's sleek design and relatively lightweight. Based on what we have seen and know, this AI Studio notebook has the potential to make it onto our best slim laptops list and earn an award for desktop-replacement productivity laptop.
The spacious and comfortable keyboard and the inclusion of a number pad make it more impressive. The smooth and responsive touchpad deserves much appreciation. Like Lenovo Legion laptops, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Studio's touchpad resides closer to the left-hand side, which takes some getting used to.
Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Slim and Lightweight Laptops?
The best lightweight and slim laptops for you depend on what you want to get out of them. Though all the best lightweight laptops look sleek, some quite key differentiators distinguish them from each other. You will notice a huge difference between a machine that costs £500 and one that £2000, even though they have the same brand name and a similar look.
So, how do you buy one that fits your needs and budget?
Secondary school students can benefit from lightweight laptops that are easy to carry. See our recommendations for the best student laptops for secondary school in 2024.
The following are the key points to consider when shopping for a new light and slim laptop.
How much should my budget be?
- Entry-Levels Models (£500): If you are a casual user, entry-level laptops with a £500 price range are worth considering. However, be mindful of certain drawbacks. These slim and light laptops might have less processing power, lower display resolution, fewer connectivity options, and smaller storage capacities. Their construction can also be less sturdy. Laptops under this price range are recommended for people who need a device just for homework, web browsing, word processing, and streaming media on the go. The weight of these laptops ranges between three to four pounds.
- Mide-Range Models (£1000): Midrange laptops are the most affordable slim laptops with better features but come at a higher price, ranging from about £500 to £1000. As for the components, expect high-end values such as full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) or even QHD (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) resolutions, metal chassis, touchscreens, and wider keyboards. Battery life and storage have also improved, which means there is more value for your money. At the same time, you may still have to compromise on a few sides, like storage capacity, memory, port options, or processing power.
- Premium Models (£1500 or more): At the top-of-the-line comes the best lightweight laptops with the "premium" tag. These high-end laptops are categorised for more sleek construction, cutting-edge hardware, and state-of-the-art graphics. In this category, you'll find 3K- or 4K-resolution displays, a Full HD webcam, high-quality sound hardware, ample memory, fast storage, and other impressive features within a super thin and compact factor. However, not all the best slim and lightweight laptops are made equal. Thus, if your budget allows you to spend most of your day on your laptop, investing in a quality machine with this price tag can be well worth it.
Which CPU should I consider for a thin and light laptop?
You will want to be choosy about the processor to experience the best computing possible. Even in the most affordable slim laptops, the average processor decides the performance, so choose it wisely. At the top, you'll see Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 processors, most commonly in midrange and premium models. In 2023, Intel introduced its first 13th Gen "Raptor Lake" CPUs for laptops, dominating the ultraportable laptop market. Most of these processors used P- and U-class chips, designed for thin-and-light laptops that need power but don't have enough room for larger components and cooling systems.
The P series supports high-power machines, while the U series is designed for traditional thin and light laptops. The more powerful "H" and "HX" series chips are less common in ultraportable machines, being reserved for larger systems and gaming laptops. Most laptops combine these chips with 16GB RAM, whereas affordable slim laptops pack only 8GB.
On the other hand, if you are into Intel CPUs, go for models with AMD processors. AMD chips are usually designed to compete directly with Intel regarding speed and performance. The Ryzen 7000 and "Hawk Point" Ryzen 8000 series are well known for speedy performance without demanding additional cooling or larger batteries.
Gamers who value portability can explore our guide to lightweight laptops that deliver gaming performance, including top esports recommendations.
Which graphics card should I get for a slim laptop?
The graphics card is the most important component of your laptop after the CPU. Typically, laptop manufacturers prefer integrated graphics for their devices to make them thinner and lighter. On the other hand, budget-thin and light gaming laptops come equipped with dedicated graphics—a separate chip devoted to rendering graphics with more detailed textures.
The integrated graphics are suitable for productivity and casual media work. However, if you want to play high-end games and edit media at faster frame rates and higher configurations, choose a laptop with discrete graphics, including NVIDIA GeForce RTX mobile versions.
How much storage is needed?
Powerful performance is essential, but storage is equally paramount for keeping your digital files. You'll find solid-state drives (SSDs) in almost all modern laptops. These compact, flash-based storage devices are resistant to data loss. Since they lack moving parts, they are less weighty, making them ideal for travel. Midrange and high-end slim and lightweight laptops typically feature SSD capacities of 256GB or 512GB. An ITB option is also available for users who want to store larger media files.
What kind of screen is best for me?
Now, let's discuss what you need in the more visible exterior of the laptop: the screen. Thin and light laptops come in different resolutions, from the now humdrum 720p (1,366 by 768 pixels) to full HD (1,920 by 1,080 pixels) and up to Ultra HD or 4K (3,840 by 2,160 pixels), with a few nonstandard resolutions in between.
Low-resolution screens are adequate for reading and typing text. Full HD (often referred to as 1080p or 1200p) screens are what you should expectexpected on many affordable slim laptops, all midrange models, and some premium machines. The 1080p displays are better equipped for multitasking, as you can fit more readable text and two side-by-side windows on 13-—or 14-inch laptops.
Touchscreen technology is a viable option when you are travelling on a bus or train and don't have enough space to use a mouse and touchpad.
How much battery life will be enough to get the job done?
Aim for at least 8 hours on a single charge for productivity tasks. Many laptops easily surpass this, so targeting 10 hours would be even better. It is noteworthy to do careful research as manufacturer claims don't reflect rigorous testing conditions. Additionally, consider laptops with fast charging features to get your laptop fully poweredfully power your laptop in no time.
Bottom Line
Simply put, finding the perfect slim and lightweight laptop is all about balancing features and budget. Whether you are a student, a professional, or a gamer on the go, there's an ultraportable option for you the. From the versatile HP Pavilion 15 to the powerful Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro, and from the flexible HP ENVY x360 to the AI-powerhouse MSI Prestige 16 AI Studio, each laptop in our list of slim laptop deals has unique advantages in terms of design, performance, design, and other features.
For graphic design students who need lightweight laptops with powerful displays, our guide to the best laptops for graphic design students offers great options.
Check out BOX and find exciting summer deals on the latest ultraportable laptops, best gaming PCs, wireless gaming headsets, PlayStation portable consoles, and various other gaming accessories.
Happy Shopping!